Engineering components, particularly rotating components such as turbine fan blades, compressor blades, impellers, blisks, and integrally bladed rotors (IBRs), commonly encounter vibrational stresses in operation. These vibrational stresses can fatigue the component and eventually cause the component to fail. In order to prevent component failure, researchers have investigated a number of approaches for attenuating the vibrations that develop under cyclic loading. Such approaches have included dry friction dampers, tuned-mass or particles, air cavities, shape memory alloys, viscoelastic dampers, and ceramic coatings.
Another approach that has been considered for vibration damping is the application of a thin coating of a ferromagnetic material on a surface of a substrate. In particular, Fe—Cr based ferromagnetic materials comprising about 16% (by weight) chromium (Cr), either about 1% to about 6% aluminum (Al) or about 1% to about 4% molybdenum (Mo), and the balance iron (Fe), have been shown to exhibit high damping, as well as good mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. As a result, the Fe—Cr based ferromagnetic materials are considered well-suited for applications involving severe and hostile operating conditions, such as those experienced by turbine components.
As mentioned, Fe—Cr based ferromagnetic materials have been shown to possess a high damping capacity. These ferromagnetic materials include magnetic domains, which are separated by magnetic domain walls. When the ferromagnetic material is exposed to external magnetic fields or stresses, the magnetic domain walls can move. When the movement of the magnetic domain walls is irreversible, a portion of the energy provided to the ferromagnetic material is dissipated as internal friction. This damping mechanism is commonly referred to as magneto-mechanical damping.
Thus, high damping in ferromagnetic materials is achieved due to the irreversible movement of the magnetic domain walls. If movement of the magnetic domain walls is constrained or hindered, the ferromagnetic material will not exhibit any appreciable damping. Unfortunately, conventional coating processes create large residual stresses that act as obstacles to the movement of the magnetic domain walls. For example, in a conventional air plasma spray process, the residual stress is dominated by tensile quenching stresses; while in a conventional cold spray process, the residual stress is dominated by compressive peening stresses. As a result, a ferromagnetic coating applied to a substrate by conventional coating processes will provide no significant damping. In order to free up the movement of the magnetic domain walls, the common course of action is to subject the coated article to a high temperature annealing process. For example, a suggested process comprises annealing in high vacuum at temperatures between 700° C. and 1200° C. for 30 minutes to 6 hours, followed by furnace cooling at 120° C./h.
The high temperature annealing process is a critical drawback that has hindered the use of ferromagnetic materials in real world applications. For example, high temperature annealing of geometrically complex structural components, such as gas turbine engine components, can cause microstructural defects, decomposition and precipitation in component substrate materials, and most importantly can warp or deform the structural component rendering the component unfit for its intended use.
Thus there is a need in the art for a process capable of depositing a coating comprising a ferromagnetic damping material on a surface of a substrate that exhibits a high damping capacity without having to undergo a high temperature annealing process. The presently disclosed method satisfies this need.